Famous Capt. Kirk honors real one at ship christening

Apr. 16, 2014 - 06:00AM
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William Shatner, who portrayed Capt. James T. Kirk in the 'Star Trek' TV series and movies, sent a letter and signed photo to the crew of the Zumwalt, a newly christened Navy destroyer. (Courtesy Barbara Zumwalt)

That was the message actor William Shatner, best known for playing Capt. James T. Kirk in the “Star Trek” TV series and movies, sent to Capt. James A. Kirk, skipper of the newly-christened destroyer Zumwalt.

Shatner, unable to attend the April 12 christening in Bath, Maine, sent along his well wishes to Kirk and the crew of the Zumwalt, according to a picture tweeted out by the late Adm. Elmo Zumwalt’s niece, Barbara Zumwalt.

In a letter addressed to the crew of the Zumwalt, Shatner wished them fair winds and following seas.

“Know that you are in our thoughts — Mr. and Mrs. Shatner — and that we bless you and hope that you have a safe journey, no matter where your ship takes you,” Shatner wrote.

The ship hasn’t decided what it’s going to do with the letter and signed photo of the actor, said Naval Sea Systems Command spokesman Chris Johnson.

As for Zumwalt’s skipper, Kirk has been focusing more on the ship’s namesake than his own. Kirk told the Bangor, Maine, Daily News that he and the crew would strive to uphold the legacy of the former chief of naval operations, whom one president called “the conscience of the Navy.” Zumwalt died in 2000.

“He put the Navy on the course to a more just institution,” Kirk said, according to the newspaper. “In my mind, he’s a towering figure in the history of our Navy, one who, I think increasingly, history will recognize as a great mind and intellect.”